The present invention relates to a method of reproducing images of a plurality of pages of copies or originals on a single plate or film with the images suitably positioned and oriented on the plate, and can be applied, for example, to a process camera for plate making.
Process cameras for reproducing images of a plurality of pages of originals on a single plate, for example, a photosensitive member, are already known, for example, from U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,998,546, 3,837,742 or 3,920,333.
In case the photosensitive member, on which images of a plurality of pages of originals have been photographed, is a film for a direct machine plate, the film is subjected to an exposure process from its reverse side, while in case of a film for other than the direct machine plate, to an exposure process from its obverse side. Then, in each case, the film is subjected to a contact printing process with a masking film overlaid thereon. In case of a film for direct machine plate, the processed member is used directly as a plate for printing. In case of a film for other than the direct machine plate, the processed member is again subjected to another contact printing process with a PS plate or the like overlaid thereon, and then used as a plate for printing.
A paper printed on its obverse and reverse surfaces by using a plate prepared in the above-mentioned manner is sent to a bookbinding process, where the paper is folded several times according to a predetermined sequence, and binded along a predetermined side, the remaining three sides being cut along predetermined lines. The papers printed and cut in the above manner are required to have pages arranged in regular order and top edges having the same direction or orientation. In consequence, according to the requirements for bookbinding after printing, and to the dimensions of various parts of the book and so on, there are various methods for arranging page images on a single photo-sensitive member by use of a process camera.
In this specification, the term "pattern" means information relating to page arranging layout, including such as page order, direction of page top edge, data relating to signatures, order of page exposure, gripping direction of printing machine, and so on.
FIGS. 6 to 12 show roughly classified patterns prepared for arranging images of 8 pages of copies or originals on a single plate by using a process camera for plate making. In every patterns, the plate is gripped along the lower side. Numeral 10 denotes areas for reproducing signatures. Numerals on the arranged pages denote page numbers, and the direction of the numeral indicates the direction from top edge to bottom edge of the page.
The patterns shown in FIGS. 6 to 9 are called as "sheetwise" or "sheet work". FIGS. 6A, 7A, 8A and 9A show outer forms; i.e., plates for printing images on the obverse surface of a sheet of printing paper, while FIGS. 6B, 7B, 8B and 9B show inner forms; i.e., plates for printing images on the reverse surface of a sheet of printing paper. In the pattern shown in FIG. 6, all of the arranged pages have different page numbers. The pattern shown in FIG. 7 is called as "two sets for the same plate type". The pattern shown in FIG. 8 is called as "two sets for different plates type". The pattern shown in FIG. 9 is called as "four sets for the same plate type". Assuming from the above, there are counted 24 kinds of patterns for "four sets for different plates type", while 6 kinds of patterns for "four sets for a pair of the same plates type".
FIGS. 10 to 12 show patterns which are called as "half sheet" or "work and turn", where a plate is commonly used for printing on an obverse surface and a reverse surface. In the pattern shown in FIG. 10, pages to be arranged are different from each other. FIG. 11 shows a pattern of "two sets type", while FIG. 12 a pattern of "four sets type".
In addition to the above-mentioned examples, there exist patterns which are similar to those shown in FIGS. 6 to 8 and FIG. 10, but have gripping edges at the reverse side. Further, although, in the above-mentioned examples, the pages are bound at the left side, and folded at the top side, it is also possible to bind at the left side and fold at the bottom side, or to bind at the right side and fold at the bottom side. In addition, it is also possible to bind the pages laterally with the top sides directing left and right. With respect to the folding method, there are various methods, in addition to the usual folding method, such as zig-zag folding, wind folding, web offset printing press folding, and other methods practiced in foreign countries.
When various factors are taken into consideration as mentioned above, several hundreds of patterns may be assumed, even in case 8 pages of originals are to be arranged-or reproduced on one surface of a plate. Further, this number is counted only in relation to the kinds of the patterns. When format data including size of the plate, size of the page, breadth of the gutter, breadth of gripping, and various sizes are taken into consideration, the number of kinds may become enormously great.
By the way, the present applicant has developed a process camera capable of reproducing images of a plurality of pages of copies or on a single photosentive member, which comprises a platen for holding the photosensitive member, the platen being movable in X and Y directions in a plane parallel to the photosensitive member holding plane, and vertically movable mask plates and horizontally movable mask plates, and in which the positions and the areas of the reproduced images of originals are determined by moving the platen and the mask plates. An example of this process camera is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4862223, and is shown in FIG. 5 in brief. In FIG. 5, numeral 11 denotes a subject holder having a horizontal plane for holding the copy or original thereon. Above the subject holder 11 is disposed a mirror 14 slanted with an inclination of 45.degree. for deflecting the light reflected from the original disposed on the subject holder 11 into a horizontal direction and for reversing the image.
An object lens 16 and a platen 20 are positioned on the path of light coming from the subject holder 11 and reflected by the reverse mirror 14. The platen 20 is disposed in a camera housing 52 for positioning a relatively large film piece F which is used as a film or a machine plate. The film piece is held at a predetermined position in a vertical plane of the platen by using an air suction device. The platen 20 can be moved in two mutually perpendicular directions, i.e., in X and Y directions, in one vertical plane by means of an X/Y moving device 46. The movement of the platen 20 in X and Y directions is carried out by rotating feed screws (not shown) by use of stepping motors. A mask 48 is disposed just in front of the film holding surface of the platen 20. The mask 48 comprises two mask plates disposed at upper and lower positions and independently movable vertically, and other two mask plates disposed at laterally spaced positions and independently movable horizontally. The upper, lower, and lateral boundary edges of the area in which an image is to be reproduced on the film piece F are defined by these four mask plates of the mask 48. The mask plates are moved under control of stepping motors.
By positioning and hodling the film piece F on the platen 20 and by moving the platen 20 in X and Y directions, the position at which the image of the original held on the subject holder 11 is reproduced on the film piece F can be arbitrarily determined. Further, by moving the upper and lower mask plates and the left and right mask plates in a vertical direction and in a horizontal direction, respectively, the reproducing area extending vertically and horizontally and locating at the above-mentioned reproducing position can be arbitrarily determined.
In a process camera as shown in FIG. 5, by controlling the position of the platen 20 and the vertical and horizontal positions of the mask plates, images of a plurality of pages of originals and signatures can be reproduced on a single plate with patterns as shown in FIGS. 6 to 12, or other arbitrary pattern. To be concrete, the image reproduction with a desired pattern and desired format data is carried out by sequentially controlling the stepping motors through a microcomputer for moving the platen 20 and the upper, lower, left, and right mask plates.
A set of the total data including pattern data and format data required for reproduction of images is referred to as "final format" hereinafter.
In order to sequentially control the stepping motors through the microcomputer, it is required to determine the reproducing pattern and format data in advance. Therefore, heretofore, various final formats are prepared and stored in advance, and from among them one desired final format is selected and used.
These final formats are, however, so-called ready-made ones, and can not be used, when the desired final format includes data different from those appearing in a corresponding ready-made one. Further, as mentioned before, there are various kinds of multi-page reproducing patterns and format data, and, in addition, some patterns and format data originated by users of the process camera. When these circumstances are taken into consideration, it is considered very difficult to prepare all of the necessary final formats beforehand.